Top 6 Hikes to Do in Telluride, Colorado
If you have been following me for a while, you know I often write about Telluride. However, I never got to write about all my hiking adventures while visiting this magical town.
Some of these hikes are great year-round, and some are not. I will denote which ones are, when I hiked them, and how easy or hard they are. Know your limits, leave no trace, take extra water and food, and enjoy the views!
San Miguel River Trail
I "hike" this at least 3-4 times every time I visit. I started a tradition of hiking my last morning before flying back to DC. I put the quotes around "hike" because it is only 610 feet in elevation, so this is the most accessible hike here, with stunning views of the Town and the Box Canyon.
You can walk, run, snowshoe, and bike; I have done all of them! If you want to extend it, you can connect this with the Bridal Veil Falls trail past the Pandora Mill or take the trail to Lawson Hill, the next town over from Telluride. The Lawson Hill trail is 7.6 miles out and back and is used all year round. My favorite time is when snow covers everything!
Bridal Veil Falls
Did you know that Telluride is home to the tallest free-falling fall in all of Colorado? Bridal Veil Falls stands 365 feet high! This trip can also be done mostly year-round. You’ll want to be careful about high amounts of snow in the winter, but if you have the right gear, you will be fine!
I have done this hike twice in the summer now. This is only a 3.6-mile round trip from the falls, but remember, you can make this a longer hike by connecting to the San Miguel River Trail…which I have done. The elevation gain is only 1,650 feet, a little over double from the river trail, but again, you will gain epic views of the town! Also, if you don't want to go to the top of the fall, you can enjoy the view of the falls below.
Blue Lake
This hike honestly got the best of me twice. My first time trying to get here was in the summer of 2020. I got lost and ended up at Bridal Veil Falls, where I just gave up. Well, in June of 2024, I made it a mission to get here.
You can find the 5.7-mile round-trip trail from the top of Bridal Veil Falls. If you really want to add to your 5.7 miles from Bridal Veil, you could tack on the river trail and make it one long-ass hike, so I may or may not have done a 14-mile hike.
This trail is challenging; you will be on it for at least 3.5 hours with an almost 2,000-foot elevation gain, which means you’ll be above 13,000 feet. It took me much longer because I came from the River Trail, and I had to stop multiple times because I started to get altitude sickness. But once I got to the lake and sat for 45 minutes, I felt much better on the hike back. This hike has fantastic views of the San Juan Mountains, which I have never seen before. Also, you will cross a couple of unnamed waterfalls.
Plan to be on this hike for a day. Thankfully, I made friends with this couple on the way down, and they gave me a ride back into town. Blue Lake is a stunning alpine lake located above the town of Telluride.
Bear Creek
This was my favorite hike before I did Blue Lake. This hike is 4.5 miles out and back, leading to a waterfall from the town. The elevation gain is only 1,092 feet, but you still get some epic views of the town and the San Juan mountains.
What made this my favorite hike, besides the views, was seeing the massive aftermath of an avalanche in 2019. After hiking for a while, you hit an enormous area where you see many downed aspen trees and debris. It is genuinely stunning how beautiful destruction can be. I did this hike in the summer of 2020.
You can "hike" this all year, though I would be cautious about snowshoeing or hiking in the winter based on the high chance of triggering an avalanche. Check the daily avalanche reports before going.
Jud Wiebe Memorial Trail
I hiked this trail in the winter. However, it is better suited for the summer and fall. It can get very icy and is not safe, even if you are an expert. I had to turn back because of how icy it was despite it being only 3.1 miles with an elevation gain of 1,213 feet. At most, I hiked maybe 1.5 miles.
Regardless, you will get stunning views of the town of Telluride!
Telluride Trail
You can only hike this trail in the summer and fall, and that's because this is a ski trail in the winter. You can hike this in different ways; you can hike up and then take the gondola back down or vice versa. This trail is 5.2 distance with an elevation gain of 1,794 feet.
Here, you have stunning views of Telluride from the middle of town. I will say this is my favorite view of the town, especially during the winter, taking the gondola up. This is the iconic view you see in most Telluride postcards, but the hike made me fall in love with the town in the summer.
I'd love to hear about your hiking experiences in Telluride. Which hike did you do, and what made it your favorite? Share your stories, and let's inspire each other to explore this beautiful town.
